**Has Trump’s Recent Order Rendered the H-1B Visa Program Ineffective?**
*By Dwaipayan Roy | Sep 21, 2025 | 06:24 PM*
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**What’s the Story?**
US President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation increasing the fee for H-1B visas to a staggering $100,000. This change, which takes effect immediately, is expected to have a significant impact on global hiring practices.
A White House spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, clarified that this is a one-time fee and not an annual charge. This means H-1B visa holders will not have to pay this amount again for re-entry into the United States.
So, does this hike in fees effectively render the H-1B visa program ineffective? Let’s explore the potential consequences.
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**Hiring Trends: Rise in Remote Hiring**
The steep increase in H-1B visa fees could trigger a rise in remote hiring, particularly from India. Ritu Sethi, Partner at ABC Consultants, suggested that this change might create more opportunities for Indian tech professionals to work remotely for multinational firms.
However, she also noted that the higher costs involved with H-1B visas could reduce the number of Indian professionals accepting onsite roles in US-based organizations.
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**Business Strategy: Adoption of Hybrid Models**
Kapil Joshi, CEO of IT Staffing at Quess Corp, mentioned that businesses might begin adopting hybrid models to navigate this new challenge. Such models would involve retaining client-facing roles locally in the US while centralizing other work in India and other global talent hubs.
Kapil emphasized the necessity for companies to invest in robust collaboration tools, scale their global capability centers, and ensure remote teams feel fully integrated within their organizations.
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**Impact Assessment: The Risk of Reverse Brain Drain**
The proposed visa fee increase could have profound effects on India’s tech talent pool. Siddhartha Nigam, Partner and Global Markets and US Corridor Leader at Grant Thornton Bharat, highlighted that nearly 70% of H-1B visa holders are Indian.
He added that this development might force companies to rethink their offshore-onshore resource allocation. Furthermore, it could even prompt a reverse brain drain, with senior professionals choosing to return to India rather than bearing the exorbitant costs to work in the US.
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**Conclusion**
The hike in H-1B visa fees represents a major shift in immigration and employment policies that will reshape how global tech talent is hired and deployed. While it may encourage remote and hybrid working models, it also risks limiting onsite opportunities and triggering a talent reversal back to home countries like India.
Stakeholders across industries will need to adapt quickly to this changing landscape to maintain competitive advantage and talent retention.
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*Stay tuned for more updates on global employment trends and visa policies.*
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/world/effect-of-trump-s-recent-order-on-h-1b-visa-program/story
